America's Most Beloved Ballpark. The Fenway Frank. "Sweet Caroline." The Green Monstah. There's a lot to love about the Boston Red Sox, right?
Wrong, according to one study.
A study done by Nielson Co. showed that the Red Sox are the second-most despised team in the majors, with the Yankees far behind, tied as the fourth-most hated team in baseball. The results were detailed in The Wall Street Journal.
The poll, though, may be a little more believable if it didn't have the Cleveland Indians as the most-hated team in baseball. Come on, the Cleveland Indians? Who hates the Cleveland Indians? The franchise that brought us greats such as Lou Boudreau, Bob Feller, Rick Vaughn and Willie Mays Hayes is one that simply cannot be hated.
The study measured people's feelings toward certain things, using keywords to detect "positive, negative or neutral reactions to different brands and products." The scale ranged from negative-five to positive-five. The Indians finished with 0.9 rating, the Red Sox garnered a 1.1 and the Yankees got a 1.8 rating. The San Francisco Giants (4.5) and Oakland A's (4.2) were the most-liked teams.
Chances are, this poll won't hold much weight with the folks roaming Lansdowne Street.